According to Voice of America the demonstration in Cabinda and in Angola planned for Saturday 12 November 2011 was cancelled because Unita changed its position at the last minute, as it was satisfied with the concession made by MPLA in agreeing to remove from the agenda the debate on the package of electoral laws contested in parliament by the Angolan opposition.

However, it is rumoured that the main reason why UNITA backed down on the planned demonstration was a warning received according to which the people of Cabinda were preparing to use the demonstration to express their desire for independence.

As UNITA disagreed with the intention of the Cabindans to turn the demonstration into an occasion for demanding self-determination, it decided to cancel it.

The above explanation seems very plausible when it is understood that the objective of the demonstration was not to prevent the debate, as this goal had already been reached by the opposition’s withdrawal from the session set for discussing the package, but was more to seek the support of the citizens and to express the disagreement of Angolan society with its contents, in order to force the MPLA to accept the proposals of the parliamentary opposition, which in this case would coincider with those of society at large.

For attentive analysts of the Cabindan issue and for Cabindans themselves it was a stark reminder that Unita is not the lifeline for Cabinda from the Angolan yoke as it has been recently projected in the territory of cabindaWith this gesture Unita makes it clear that it is not different from the MPLA - it is just a political rival to the current regime in Angola. Moreover, everything it says about Cabinda in their electoral campaigns is a mere exercise of political propaganda to win the votes of Cabindans

Following the same reasoning, UNITA sees the Cabindan attempt as an act of desperation by Cabindans that becomes dangerous to Unita, and is not ready to risk the Angolan Pact on Cabinda when it knows that even winning all eligible votes in Cabinda cannot ensure its political victory in the Angolan general elections and such act would make its position even weaker than it already is in the Angolan political spectrum.

Cabindans should understand that UNITA seeks to approach them only to obtain their votes.

It is imperative that Cabindans understand that the presence of Cabindans in the MPLA, Unita, FNLA and other Angolan parties will not bring the solution that the Cabindans are aiming for. They are there as members of the Angolan political forces and as such subjected to internal discipline and follow the agendas of those parties. Some Cabindans members of these parties may not agree with what their parties do and say about Cabinda but they have to accept it because of personal interests; therefore they do not represent the people of Cabinda because they never were chosen or elected as candidates of a Cabindan representative political force to represent Cabinda with the blessing of the people of Cabinda.

The Cabindans do not need partnership with UNITA in order to exercise the right of expression enshrined in the constitutional law of the Angolan occupying regime, and don’t need to speak out against the Angolan package of electoral laws. Cabindans should speak up and protest against the oppression to which they are submitted by the occupying regime in Luanda and promote Cabinda's claim for self-determination.

It is worth recalling that, the three Angolan movements (MPLA, UNITA and FNLA) signed the annexation of Cabinda in Alvor and for Cabindans they are all venom from the same three-headed snake.

The MPLA thinks that the solution for Cabinda is to eliminate all those demanding the self-determination of Cabinda. UNITA is today making promises of autonomy to Cabinda when it conquers the power. Who guarantee it? It is important to remember that Mr. Durão Barroso too promised to take on the role of "Protector" in solving the Cabinda issue in his campaign and we all know what followed after his victory in Portugal. The FNLA is more interested in surviving as a party; therefore Cabinda is off its agenda because it considers this was all taken care of in the Alvor plot.

It is the responsibility of Cabindans to act and not give up seeking for a dignified solution for Cabinda. With the independence of Southern Sudan accepted by the international community, nothing can prevent the self-determination of Cabinda.

What is needed to restore Cabindans’ lost dignity, forfeited as a result of the MPLA-led Angolan occupation, is to raise the awareness of and to organize action (with the help of the international community) by every Cabindan worthy of the name. What is not needed are those political tours dictated by the territorial ambitions of Angola and the internal warring of some Cabindans who have fallen out with their own people and who are only making Angola’s mission easier.

The issue of Cabinda is like "a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden even if you switch off its lights". It might be solved with responsibility.

Last Updated on Sunday, 05 February 2012 10:42

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